Page 3 of Coming Home to Maverick

They all echoed, “Amen.”

Nash raised his fork. “Let’s eat!”

Mama nodded. “Let’s eat.”

Everyone dug in. Maverick slapped away Decker’s hand as he reached for the same slice of ham. “Wait your turn.”

Nash passed him a dripping, sticky syrup pitcher.

“Hey now, whoa. Go wipe that off,” Maverick said.

“Why me?”

Decker snorted. “’Cause you’re the one who drizzled syrup all over the handle.”

Nash frowned but got up from the table to wipe the sticky drips of syrup off the handle. The Dawsons had no patience for anything sticky.

They’d almost finished the meal when Decker put down his napkin and looked directly at Maverick. “So, what are you gonna do about Bailey?”

Everyone went silent, and the air thickened with expectation. His mother avoided his eyes, but all three pairs of his brother’s eyes waited for his response.

“I don’t know that there is anything to do.”

“What if she comes walking back in, thinking there’s still a chance over here?” Decker’s eyes flashed with anger.

“I don’t think there’s any chance of that. She hasn’t said a word to me.”

Everyone seemed to be waiting for him to say something else about it. So finally, he sat back in his chair. “I don’t know, all right. I had no idea she was coming. I don’t know why she left. I don’t know what she’s been doing except what everyone else knows.” He’d stopped checking social media years ago. “So I don’t know what to tell you. Will I see her again? I imagine I’ll run into her the next time I have to go into town.” He tried to keep the pain off his face, but it was just too hard to hide. “I’m not gonna pretend I’m okay with it, but I don’t know what else to do except move forward as though we are people that barely know one another.”

“We could shun her.” Nash twirled his fork. “You know, like outright avoid her, refuse to talk to her. If you asked the town, they’d support you. She hurt them when she left, too.” He replaced his fork. “Not as much as you, but they might not want to take her back in with open arms, especially if we say we aren’t ready.”

Maverick held up his hands. “I don’t want us to say or do anything. If we see her, we’re polite. If we don’t, that’s fine too.” A part of him wanted to see her right away and get it over with. But the other part wanted to go on a long vacation and hope she left before he came back.

Chapter 2

Bailey stood as tall as she could, but she knew there was no amount of pretending that could help make coming home any easier. She knew word of her arrival had spread through town as soon as her car drove down Center Street.

She hadn’t had time or money to change out her obnoxious license plate,CTRYSTR. Who put Country Star on their license plate? Bailey had when she left. She shook her head. She hardly knew that woman anymore. But she hardly knew the woman who’d been raised in this town, either. Just the thought of attending church with the members of her town filled her with shame. So why was she back?

She circled around to the other side of the car and opened the door.

“Are we here, Mama?” Gracie Faith’s sweet voice warmed her and, at the same time, filled her with anxiety. She reached for her hand. “Come on, sweet pea. Let’s go meet your grandma.”

And bless her heart, the girl skipped and squealed. Her face alone could have lit the neighborhood.

Oh, please. Please make this easy.It wasn’t quite a prayer. She hadn’t prayed in a long time. But she sent her plea to the universe anyway. Maybe God still heard people who were afraid to ask Him for things.

They walked up the sidewalk. Everything was the same. The front porch looked like it had a recent paint job. She counted cracks in the old cement, like always. Then she heard a small voice. “One. Two. Three.”

She smiled. Willow Creek was the perfect place to grow up. If she could give her daughter even a portion of what Bailey had when she was younger, she’d give her a good place to grow up at last.

Her stomach clenched. Nothing could erase the first five years of her baby girl’s life. They were on the road if Bailey was lucky enough to get a gig, and they ate whatever food Bailey could scrape up. How many times had she watched Gracie sleep on a bench at the local bar while Bailey sang on stage?

The door to her parents’ farmhouse opened before they made it halfway up the walk. Bailey’s mother clutched at her heart, and her face squinched in joy.

“Bailey!” She ran down the stairs and flung her arms around Bailey. Her bony arms held her desperately. She was considerably skinnier since Bailey had seen her last, and the lines in her face were more visible. But she smelled the same. And as Bailey breathed in her mother, everything in her life shifted one degree closer to where things needed to be.

As soon as her mom let her go, Bailey placed a hand on her daughter’s head. “And this is Gracie Faith.”

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